What's New at YSA: Spring 2027

Everything new at Young Scholars Academy this spring, everything that comes with even one class, and the one date to circle: Thursday, November 12.

See the spring classes · Save my Open House seat

The 60-second version: what’s new this spring

1. Enroll by Nov 12, get New Year Head Start. Your kid meets classmates at a live social on Nov 13, so January 4 starts with faces they know. $1,587 in bonuses.
2. Weekend classes. Saturday and Sunday sections for kids in school and busy families. D&D, WoW, science, Minecraft, executive function.
3. The New Community Hub. A members-only app where kids message friends, see their schedule and jump into the Virtual Campus. All-Access families only.
4. 18 new courses, 9 of them science. Dinosaurs and chemistry for 6-year-olds, all the way up to Biology and Pre-Vet for teens.
5. Course pages got a glow-up. Every page now shows the mentor’s video, the units, the learning outcomes and your local class time.
6. A class finder that does the work. Tell it your kid’s age, what lights them up and which days work. It shows real classes at real times.
7. New Year All-Access Pass. 4, 6 or 10 live classes a week for all 21 weeks. Up to $4,661 less than buying the same classes one at a time.
8. Free Spring Open House. Wednesday, Nov 11 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. Meet the mentors. Kids welcome.

Hey there,

I’ve been hearing from a ton of families lately who say fall was… a lot.

Kids who held it together all day and fell apart at the door. Kids who are years ahead in what they love and nobody to share it with. Kids who’ve started to believe something is wrong with them.

There isn’t. They just haven’t found their people yet.

That’s the whole reason Young Scholars Academy exists. Small, live classes of 6 to 8 clever, quirky kids, grouped by age and interest. Mentors who were kids just like yours. And a village that keeps going after class ends.

This spring, families told us exactly what they wanted more of: more real academics, without losing the spark. So that’s what we built. Here’s everything.

More science, more core academics, same quirky village

The biggest addition is science. Nine new science courses run from age 5 to 18, most of them led by Mr. Mark, a former med student who brings live animals and real specimens on camera every week.

Mr. Mark brings specimens from his collection up close on camera every week.

Course	Ages	Why kids will love it
Little scientists
Chemistry Explorers	6–9	Fizz, mix and find out why
Space Explorers: Astronomy	6–9	Planets, stars and the questions that never stop
Rockin’ Dinosaurs: Learn, Imagine, Create!	6–9	Real paleontology, plus drawing their own creatures
LEGO Robotics & Engineering	5–8	Build it, program it, watch it move
Science and nature
Pre-Vet & Pre-Med Science	7–10, 9–13, 13–18	For kids who want to heal animals or people someday
Rocks & Crystals: Geology Club	8–12, 11–15	A club for rock collectors and crystal hunters
Ecology: Field Detectives	9–14	Solve real mysteries in the natural world
Fantasy Botany	11–16	Real plant science through magical and mythical plants
Biology	13–18	A full tour of life, cells to ecosystems
History, ideas and the world
Current Events	12–18	Make sense of the news and talk about it well
History of Witchcraft	13–18	The real history behind the legends
Tolkien’s Middle-earth	11–16	Languages, maps and myths of Tolkien’s world
Gilgamesh & the Sumerians	12–18	The world’s oldest story, with Mr. Jake
Tech and making
Web Development: Build Your Own Website	10–14	Leave with a real site they built
AI: Vibe Coding	13–18	Build apps by working with AI, the way pros do now
Arts & Crafts	7–11	Hands-on projects with Ms. L
Trains, Planes & Cities	9–13, 13–18	Design how cities move
Brain Lab: Grow Your Thinking Skills	7–10	Logic puzzles, riddles and codes to crack
Games with a purpose
World of Warcraft: WoW Forever	13–18	Teamwork, strategy and community, 75-minute sessions
Video Game Literary Analysis: Kingdom Hearts II	9–13	Study a game the way English class studies a novel
D&D for ages 6 to 9	6–9	Our youngest table, with Mr. Sean

Also new: Algebra 1 and Contest Math: Mathlete Training are now taught by Mr. Mark. Every course page now lists the units and learning outcomes for the semester, and many teen sections offer credit with a transcript. Young Scholars Academy is WASC accredited, College Board approved and UC A-G approved.

“After that first class, he spent another HOUR building (with dry noodles)…” Audra

Saturday and Sunday, finally

Your kid is in school all week. Or your weekdays are already packed. Either way, spring now has a full weekend lineup, so nobody has to fight the schedule to get to the good stuff.

Times are listed in all four U.S. time zones. These are winter times, so they hold all spring.

Day	Pacific	Mountain	Central	Eastern	Class	Ages
Sat	10:00 AM	11:00 AM	12:00 PM	1:00 PM	Executive Function: Young & Thriving Level 1 (Dr. Eric)	13–17
Sat	12:00 PM	1:00 PM	2:00 PM	3:00 PM	D&D, 75 min (Megan)	13–18
Sat	5:00 PM	6:00 PM	7:00 PM	8:00 PM	World of Warcraft: WoW Forever, 75 min (Ms. Wish)	13–18
Sun	10:00 AM	11:00 AM	12:00 PM	1:00 PM	Science Explorers: Conceptual Science (Mr. Mark)	9–12
Sun	11:00 AM	12:00 PM	1:00 PM	2:00 PM	Science Explorers: Conceptual Science (Mr. Mark)	13–18
Sun	12:00 PM	1:00 PM	2:00 PM	3:00 PM	Pre-Vet & Pre-Med Science (Mr. Mark)	9–13
Sun	1:00 PM	2:00 PM	3:00 PM	4:00 PM	Rocks & Crystals: Geology Club (Mr. Mark)	8–12
Sun	1:00 PM	2:00 PM	3:00 PM	4:00 PM	Minecraft All Editions (Ms. L)	9–13
Sun	2:00 PM	3:00 PM	4:00 PM	5:00 PM	Pre-Vet & Pre-Med Science (Mr. Mark)	13–18
Sun	2:00 PM	3:00 PM	4:00 PM	5:00 PM	Animal Crossing (Ms. L)	8–12
Sun	3:00 PM	4:00 PM	5:00 PM	6:00 PM	Minecraft Bedrock: Survive & Thrive (Ms. L)	10–15

Even one class comes with all of this

This is the part families are most surprised by. Enroll in a single class and you get Starting with Strengths, the full support bundle, for all 21 weeks. Your kid gets a community. You get a team.

What you get	Why it matters	Value
Weekly Progress Reports	A note from your kid’s mentor every week: what they made, where they shined, what’s next	$917
Expert Circle	6 live talks for parents with top voices in gifted or 2e parenting	$1,194
Friendship Social Club	A weekly live class built for making friends (with 3+ classes)	$609
Masterclass Library	5 recorded expert talks to watch any time	$645
Virtual Campus	Monday to Friday through May 28: kids hang out as avatars and video chat between classes	$647
Coffee & Connect	Live meetups with parents who get it	$597
Parent Circle	A private group for YSA parents	$497
Task Manager Toolkit	A simple system to keep track of what’s due	$49
Line-Skipper	Register for Summer 2027 24 hours early	$147
Total value, included		$5,302

$4,693 with 1 or 2 classes, since the Friendship Social Club starts at 3.

“Even we just returned home, they already signed into Virtual Campus to play with Ms Katie today.” Kaili

New Year Head Start: friends before the first class

Early bird · Ends Thursday, Nov 12 at 11:59 PM PT

The hardest part of anything new is day one, when you don’t know anybody yet. Head Start fixes that. Enroll by Thursday, November 12 and your kid meets classmates at a live social on November 13, then hangs out with them on the Virtual Campus all the way to January 4.

It works with one class or a pass. And no, there’s no early-bird discount. Families who enroll early get more, not a lower price.

Head Start bonus	Value
Head Start Socials: two live socials on Fri, Nov 13 (ages 5 to 10 and 11 to 18), then Virtual Campus time every weekday until Jan 4	$497
EF Kickstart: Mr. Sam’s self-paced executive function course, middle or high school version	$297
Midterm Progress Write-Up on your kid’s actual work	$297
Early Coffee & Connects in November and December	$297
New Year Kickoff with Mr. Sam	$199
First Pick Seating: choose classes and times before the public	Priceless
Total Head Start value	$1,587

Pick their classes by Nov 12

New Year All-Access Pass: for kids who’d live at YSA if you let them

One price covers 4, 6 or 10 live classes a week, a standing spot in the Friendship Social Club, and everything in Starting with Strengths for all 21 weeks. Paid once, and it costs a lot less than buying the same classes one at a time.

The perk only pass families get: the New Community Hub

For the last year, I’ve been building something I’ve wanted since day one: a place where the friend from Tuesday’s class doesn’t disappear until next Tuesday.

The New Community Hub works like an app. Kids log in to message their friends, find their class schedule, and jump straight into the Virtual Campus. Parents can see who their kid is connecting with. It’s only open to All-Access families, and Fall All-Access families get it too!!!!

	Bronze	Silver (most popular)	Gold
Price	$2,797	$3,597	$5,797
You pay less by	$1,508 (vs $4,305)	$2,556 (vs $6,153)	$4,661 (vs $10,458)
Best for	Kids taking 2 or 3 classes who’d add a 4th	Kids who live at YSA after school	Homeschoolers using YSA as their daytime home base
Live classes a week	4	6 (1 free)	10 (2 free)
Friendship Social Club	Weekly	Weekly	Twice a week
Masterclass Library	10 recordings	15 recordings	Full vault
1:1 Blueprint Call with Mr. Sam		Yes	Yes
Family Strategy Calls with Mr. Sam (Jan, Mar, May)			Yes
ESA Concierge + PTA Inner Circle			Yes

Every pass also includes the New Community Hub, the EF Kickstart and Debate Primer self-paced mini-courses, the full Parent Cheat Codes, the Parent Social Club free, an End-of-Year Growth Summary, and a Transcript & Portfolio. Enroll by Nov 12 and Head Start stacks on top.

How the pass works

1. One pass per kid. Each pass is for one child. Two kids who both want to go all in? Each gets their own pass.
2. Enroll in the pass only. Choose Bronze, Silver or Gold and check out. You don’t sign up for the classes yourself.
3. Tell us the classes. Send the classes your kid wants. Our support team enrolls them for you.
4. Switch in month one. Not the right fit? Pass families can switch classes from January 4 to February 3.

Already a Fall All-Access family? You’re set. Your pass covers spring through May 28 with one free week at the end, and the New Community Hub is yours too. You can add a weekly class or move up a level.

Compare the passes

What it looks like at home

“There seems to be some magic happening at Young Scholars Academy. My dysgraphic/dyslexic son, who has refused to write more than a sentence for years, just told me he wrote an essay for his creative writing class.” Simone

“After one social club he came out and said he’d found his people… Now his friends say he’s going to be a professor.” Laura

Some names changed for privacy.

Try it from the inside

You wouldn’t buy a house without walking through it first. Same idea. Come to class. Meet the mentor. Watch your kid’s face after class. Read the weekly notes.

• Paid in full? Switch to a better-fit class of equal or lesser value, or take a credit toward a future class.
• On a payment plan? Take a credit, switch to a better-fit class, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.

If it works, we keep going. If it doesn’t, we stop.

Our class promise: if a class you choose doesn’t have enough students to run, Young Scholars Academy moves your kid to a similar class and gives you 2 weeks free.

To qualify, your kid has to actually attend. This is a satisfaction guarantee, not a cancellation policy. All-Access Passes have their own terms.

Dates to know

Date	What happens
Wed, Nov 11 · 5 PM PT	Free Spring Open House (RSVP)
Thu, Nov 12 · 11:59 PM PT	New Year Head Start ends
Fri, Nov 13	Head Start Socials; Head Start campus time runs until Jan 4
Thu, Dec 10	Spring enrollment closes
Mon, Jan 4	Spring classes begin
Wed, Feb 3	Last day for pass families to switch classes
Fri, May 28	Spring ends

Questions parents ask

Is the All-Access Pass one per family or one per kid? One per kid. Each New Year All-Access Pass covers one child. Siblings who both want a full week each get their own pass.

Do I pick classes when I buy the pass? No. You enroll in the pass only. Then you tell Young Scholars Academy which classes your kid wants, and the support team enrolls them for you.

What time zone are classes in? Class times are set in Pacific Time, and each course page also shows the time in your own time zone. The weekend table above lists all four U.S. zones.

Can my kid just take one class? Yes. Single classes start at $27.55 a week, and even one class comes with the full Starting with Strengths bundle.

Can we use ESA funds? Yes. Young Scholars Academy is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs. The Gold pass includes ESA Concierge to walk you through it.

Not sure which classes to pick? Use the class finder. Tell it your kid’s age, what they love and which days work, and it shows real classes at real times. Or come to the Open House and ask the mentors directly.

Picture January 4

Your kid logs in. A few faces they already know wave back. Someone says, “Oh good, you’re in this one too!”

After class, they come find you. Not because something went wrong. Because they have something to tell you about.

That’s what 2027 can look like. It starts with one class.

Find their spring classes · RSVP for the Open House

Can’t wait to see you there =)

Mr. Sam

P.S. New Year Head Start ends Thursday, November 12 at 11:59 PM PT. Enroll in even one class by then and your kid walks in on January 4 already knowing kids.

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